Once again weather wreaked havoc on the KBO with the KT Wiz at Samsung game getting postponed after lock in DFS contests. Rules about the weather in the KBO make it risky to invest heavily in these contests where weather could be a concern. Games delayed for at least a half-hour will be postponed or delayed until the next day.
Beneath the radar, some bad news emerged overnight regarding LG’s slugger and KBO league leader in home runs landing on the injured list:
#KBO breaking news: Roberto Ramos of LG Twins has been put on injured list with ankle+back pains. Apparently hurt his ankle during Thursday's double header, and woke up Friday morn. with aching back. Manager Ryu Joong-il said Ramos is expected to miss this 3-game series (Fri-Sun)
— Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1) June 12, 2020
Another wrinkle in the KBO, teams can place players on the list without a required stint for them to return. Ramos, if his back improves over the weekend, could return next Tuesday or miss more time. Stay tuned as details regarding his injury emerge. As for the games, his LG teammates rallied for a win in extra innings:
#KBO game: Last 24 hours, I've covered a double header and a 10-inning game. LG Twins beat Lotte Giants 3-2. Lotte wasted a gem by starter Dan Straily, who faced just 2 over the minimum through 7. Was lifted after a game-tying single in 8th. Remains 1-2 with a 2.08 ERA
— Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1) June 12, 2020
Keun-woo Jeong provided the game winning hit in the bottom of the 10th for the Twins spoiling a strong outing by Dan Straily . Also in extra-innings, the NC Dinos lost to visiting Kiwoom. Part of the allure of KBO baseball lies in the unbridled enthusiasm the players and even the umpires display on a daily basis. Check out this called third strike:
When my dude is back there, give me all the backwards Ks. ???? pic.twitter.com/XS2VAeOVse
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 12, 2020
Now it’s time to encapsulate the game action from Friday.
Starting Pitcher Spotlight
During a no-decision, Chang-mo Koo of NC notched his seventh straight quality start this year logging seven innings giving up two hits, two runs (one earned) and two walks with eight strikeouts. Koo leads the KBO in most pitching categories with a 0.75 ERA, 52 strikeouts and a 0.69 WHIP (nice) through 48 innings this season. Here’s a taste of his arsenal:
Koo Chang-mo, Slider and Fastball Overlay/Tunnel pic.twitter.com/ifRmPEtV0N
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 12, 2020
In second place in strikeouts, Dan Straily , also fired a quality start lasting 7.1 innings allowing two hits, one earned run and two walks with seven strikeouts raising his total to 52 over 47.2 innings. He also had his stuff on display on Friday:
Dan Straily, 91mph Fastball (called strike) and 85mph Slider (Swinging K), Overlay. pic.twitter.com/bpOfOuhimp
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 12, 2020
Although Drew Gagnon did not post the best outing, he garnered his third win working 6.2 innings yielding five hits, three earned runs and two walks with five strikeouts for Kia. Gagnon can be frustrating at times with his performances, but his upside on any slate makes him a worthy target.
Proving most anyone can start versus Hanwha, Won-joon Choi made his first start of the year after recording a 7.64 ERA as a reliever prior to this contest. Choi registered his first win lasting five innings allowing two hits, zero earned runs and one walk with seven strikeouts. Not sure if Hanwha will turn over the roster again after this weekend, but they’ve lost 18 in a row.
Hitter Highlights
Kia Tigers
Ho-ryung Kim (OF) - Leadoff the game with a double and scored. Kim also walked in five plate appearances. Currently he’s hitting .400 this season in 10 games with 13 runs in them.
Preston Tucker (OF) - Scored two runs going 1-for-3 with a walk.
Seon-woo Oh (DH) - Entered the game as a pinch hitter and launched his second home run of the season during a 2-for-3 day with two RBI.
Ji-wan Na (OF) - Boom or bust player Na blasted his fifth home run in four at-bats driving in three runs.
Doosan Bears
Kun-woo Park (OF) - Reached base for the 11th straight contest going 3-for-5 with two runs, a double, his second home run and drove in a run. Park’s also hit safely in 10 of his last 11 with 11 runs, six doubles, one home run and seven RBI in them.
Jose Miguel Fernandez (DH) - Racked up another multiple hit game including a double and his sixth home run. Fernandez finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and also reached via a hit-by-pitch. He ranks second in the KBO in average (.406) and on-base percentage (.448), first in hits (56) and tied for third in RBI (31) entering game play on Saturday.
Jae-il Oh (1B) - Drove in two runs going 1-for-3 in Hanwha.
Jae-ho Kim (SS) - Low priced dart Kim tallied two hits in three at-bats, doubled, walked and stole his second base of the season.
SK Wyverns
Jeong Choi (3B) - Recorded two hits in three at-bats with a run and a walk.
Jin-gi Jeong (OF) - Tripled in four at-bats with two RBI.
Kiwoom Heroes
Seeing strong contact against NC’s Koo makes this home run by Ha-seong Kim even more impressive:
Kim Ha-seong just hit a 410 bomb off of Koo Chang-mo that landed outside of Changwon NC Park pic.twitter.com/iBM23pfFe4
— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) June 12, 2020
Kim’s sixth home run extended his personal hit streak to 12 during which he’s hit three home runs with 11 RBI. His teammates also chipped in during a win over NC:
Hye-sung Kim (SS) - Went 1-for-5 with a run, double and an RBI.
Byung-woo Jeon (2B) - Reached base twice with a double, a walk and scored in four plate appearances.
NC Dinos
Jin-sung Kang (1B) - Stayed atop the league lead in batting average (.442) but only went 1-for-4 with a run scored in the Dinos loss.
Aaron Altherr (OF) - Moved his hit streak to nine games going 1-for-4 with a run, an RBI and stole his fifth base. Altherr’s tied for second in the league with 32 RBI and knocked in 14 while scoring 10 runs in the midst of his hit streak.
Lotte Giants
Ah-seop Son (OF) - Racked up two hits in three at-bats, scored a run and walked twice. Son’s on-base average improved to .443 as a result and he’s walked 24 times against 11 strikeouts in 149 plate appearances this season.
Jun-woo Jeon (OF) - Went 2-for-5 while stealing his second base.
Dixon Machado (SS) - Finished 1-for-5 with an RBI. Machado owns a modest five-game hit streak.
Following a Friday slate with not many runs and import pitchers across the landscape, Saturday provides a double header along with the potential for many more runs to accumulate. Here’s the updated standings heading into them:
https://twitter.com/KBOleague/status/1271438709842251777?s=20
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Statistical Credits
myKBOstats.com
Eng.koreabaseball.co